This invention relates to an apparatus for raising and lowering a planar member, particularly a seat for moving a person from (and to) a seated position to (and from) a standing position. In one embodiment, it relates to an improved commode seat apparatus for lowering or raising a person in relation to a commode.
There has been a long existing need to provide handicapped persons as well as the weak and infirm, such as post-operative patients in hospital care, with toilet facilities which are suitable for their use without assistance or with minimal assistance from hospital or home nursing personnel. Apart from obvious advantages of such a commode, including reducing the demands on the time of often overworked nursing personnel, the personal dignity that comes with self-sufficiency in areas of personal hygiene is immeasurable.
This invention provides an apparatus to raise and lower a planar member, such as a seat, in relation to, for example, a commode positioned below the seat. The apparatus is configured with a base which extends forwardly from the front of the apparatus to support a user""s standing weight, and the apparatus is attached to the commode. In one embodiment, a U-shaped brace is positioned over the commode and attached to the base. In one embodiment, a hydraulic cylinder, including an extendable and retractable rod, powers the movement of the seat relative to the base by actuating a vertically extendable and retractable, vertically disposed support member, acting in conjunction with additional, pivotally connected support members located rearward of the vertically disposed support member. When the vertically extendable member is extended, the seat pivots upwardly about a forward point on the seat which moves upwardly coincident with the first support member, as the seat is raised. Retracting the vertically extended member produces a reverse movement.